''F1 2014'' is a racing video game based on the

2014 Formula One season The 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 68th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 65th Formula One, Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula One cars, recognised by the sport's go ...

developed and published by Codemasters. Despite releasing during the lifespan of eighth-generation consoles

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

and Xbox One, the game was released on seventh-generation consoles PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 instead, in addition to a release on

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

. ''F1 2014'' is the last F1 game to be released in September/October, releasing during the latter month.

Features

The game features the initial driver line-ups from the 2014 season. Substitute drivers Will Stevens and

André Lotterer André Lotterer (born 19 November 1981) is a German professional racing driver currently racing for Avalanche Andretti Formula E in the FIA Formula E Championship. He is best known for his success in endurance racing with the works Audi team, ...

were not included in the game, as they both only raced once during the 2014 season. Furthermore, all races feature full grids of 22 drivers - in the real-life season, the Marussia team were absent for the final three races of the season due to financial difficulties whilst Caterham also missed two races towards the end of the season due to financial difficulties before returning for the final round in Abu Dhabi. The game features the new turbo-hybrid cars introduced in the 2014 season, as well as the team and driver line-ups. All of the 2014 Formula One tracks are featured, including new additions like the

Red Bull Ring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from to . It was later sh ...

Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it has hos ...

, the brand-new Sochi Autodrom, and Bahrain in night conditions. The game allows players to choose any team to drive for at the start of Career Mode, rather than forcing the player to start at a team lower down the grid, as in previous titles. Also unlike previous titles, the Career Mode allows players to choose from three different season lengths: seven races, 12 races or the full 19 races. The game also features a new driver evaluation test, and the Scenario Mode has been improved. The game does not feature Classic Content, a feature from the game's predecessor which allowed users to drive historic Formula One cars around historic tracks. This was the last game in the series to use red flag mechanics, until it was reintroduced in '' F1 23''.

Reception

''F1 2014'' received "mixed or average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. Reviewers praised the new feel of the 2014 turbo-hybrid cars, the graphics, the racing action and some new features that made the game more accessible, but criticism of the lack of new major features and the removal of the classic content from the previous game resulted in mixed reviews.

Game Revolution ''GameRevolution'' (formerly ''Game-Revolution'') is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots ...

gave the game a positive review with a rating of 4.5 out of 5, stating that its "authentic, fun racing balances accessibility and simulation well", and that "a focus shift from history and F1 melodrama to races alone is a welcome change". They also praised the graphics, calling them "superb for PS3/Xbox 360, with impressive weather effects". The game received a mixed review from Eurogamer, rating it 5 out of 10, citing lack of new features and an uninspiring career mode. They also declared "it's a quantifiable step back for the series, saved only by the fact that what's there remains a satisfactory companion piece to this year's season if you're fortunate enough to have a decent steering wheel". Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4 out of 5, saying "''F1 2014'' plays to its strengths and doesn't get bogged down with clutter. While classic F1 races can't be recreated this year, the career mode is a far more diverse and enjoyable experience. The racing action is more intense than ever before, leading this to be one of most enjoyable F1 games ever created". PC Gamer rated the game 67 out of 100, concluding that "with its fundamentals unchanged and last years foray into classic cars removed, ''F1 2014'' provides very little beyond a perfunctory car and track update". They criticised the lack of new major features, sarcastically commenting that "on the back of ''F1 2014'''s box under 'new features', there may as well be a picture of a man shrugging apologetically".

References

External links